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Fri July 10 2009, 7:30PM AEST GMT+10Fri: South Sydney Rabbitohs 36 d. Penrith Panthers 12 at
ANZ Stadium (Sydney), Homebush Bay, Sydney (NSW)Crowd: 9,017
Sat July 11 2009, 7:30PM AEST GMT+10Sat: Newcastle Knights 23 d. Canberra Raiders 4 at
Energy Australia Stadium, New Lambton, Newcastle (NSW)Crowd: 15,355
Sun July 12 2009, 4:00PM NZST GMT+12Sun: New Zealand Warriors 14 l. Bulldogs 18 at
Mt Smart Stadium, Penrose, Auckland (NZ)Crowd: 11,802
Sun July 12 2009, 3:00PM AEST GMT+10Sun: St George Illawarra Dragons 48 d. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 at
WIN Stadium, Wollongong (NSW)Crowd: 16,792
Mon July 13 2009, 7:00PM AEST GMT+10Mon: Gold Coast Titans 18 d. Parramatta Eels 12 at
Skilled Park, Robina, Gold Coast (QLD)Crowd: 14,009
Brisbane Broncos bye North Queensland Cowboys bye Sydney Roosters bye Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks bye Melbourne Storm bye Wests Tigers bye
Mon July 13, 2009
Source: www.abc.net.auThe Dragons have brought Manly's five-game winning streak to a sudden halt, routing last year's premiers 48-18 at WIN Stadium.
Brett Morris and Wendell Sailor both crossed for doubles as a slick St George Illawarra proved why it is sitting two points clear on the top of the NRL ladder.
While the Sea Eagles were without a host of Origin experience, their defensive frailties were there for all to see in the second half.
The loss saw Manly slip back to ninth behind the Panthers by virtue of the crushing defeat.
The Dragons built a commanding lead in the opening 20 minutes with two tries and a converted penalty.
Michael Lett opened the scoring in the first two minutes before a Matt Orford chip kick bounced off the Dragons' post and Morris scooped up the rebound to run the length of the field in the 13th minute.
Despite scoring twice before half-time Manly never looked threatening.
George Rose hit back in the 23 minute to put the Eagles on the board, but the Dragons were quick to reply with a Jason Nightingale try six minutes later.
Similarly a Vic Mouro try failed to dampen the St George Illawara try-scoring machine, with Sailor crossing to take the Dragons to a 24-12 half-time lead.
Wayne Bennett's men continued to pile the tries on in the second half, reaffirming their position as the form team in the competition.
Chase Stanley crossed 55 minutes in before a try to Michael Robertson was quickly answered by Jamie Soward and seconds to Sailor and Morris.
Soward continued his blistering form, making a mockery of the Manly defence by scoring a try and converting eight from nine shots on goal.
But the five-eighth was quick to pay tribute to the rookie Dragons forward pack.
"Origin's a vital time for every club, for our young forwards today, with our star forwards missing, to stand up like against a quality pack, it's their win," he said.
"Every time we start fast this year we always jump out to a good lead, and it's good to maintain that today and obviously go on with the job against the premiers.
"Everyone can go away and enjoy their bye and not have a loss hanging over their heads."
Bennett echoed Soward's praise for the forward pack.
"I was worried about the forwards going into this game today, we've got seven missing of our starting forwards," he said.
"I just thought Manly still have a good forward pack, and I knew we had to stand up there, and I got to say I'm really proud of the guys."
Despite missing several players, Manly will have some soul searching to do, with the crushing loss reviving memories of its disastrous start to the season.
Dragons: 48 (B Morris 2, W Sailor 2, M Lett, J Nightingale, C Stanley, J Soward tries; Soward 7 conversions, penalty).
Sea Eagles 18 (G Rose, V Mauro, M Robertson tries; M Orford 3 conversions).
Source:
ABC NewsAudio: Jamie Soward ABC InterviewAudio: Brett Morris ABC InterviewAudio: Wayne Bennett ABC InterviewAudio: Des Hasler ABC InterviewSun July 12, 2009
Source: RleagueBetting.comThe Dragons will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the ladder when they host Manly at windy WIN stadium. Both teams will be missing key players, but it looks like Manly might be worse affected than a Red & White team that have displayed better potential from their fringe players than any other club.
Take the $1.53 odds from
Pinnacle Sports of a Dragons victory, or a Dragons/Dragons
Half Time Normal Time Double paying $1.99 at
Centrebet.
Domebet are top odds of $2.80 on a Dragons 13+ victory in the
Margin Betting market.
If you think Manly might cause a boilover, the best odds you'll get are $2.80 from
Sports AliveIn the
1st Try Scorer market,
Sports Alive are $9.25 for favourite Brett Morris, whilst
Sportsbet are $11 for crowd favourite Wendell Sailor.
Click Here to Compare NRL Odds on Dragons vs Sea Eagles
Round 18
St George Illawarra Dragons 48 d. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18
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